According to a story by Elise Zeiger on CNN.com, Kia Motor Company has come too the rescue of a small town in Georgia, and the town's residents couldn't be happier or more grateful for the Korean company's presence.

Kia plans to open a new factory in West Point, Georgia by the end of 2009 to build Sorento, their mid-size SUV. The town's mayor, Drew Ferguson, is quoted in the article, saying that "the revitalization of the community is touching every aspect. We have infrastructure projects, new subdivisions going up, hotel professional services that are all needed to support the massive manufacturing."

Kia has hired 500 workers so far, with plans to hire 2,000 more to run the $1.2 billion plant. Mayor Ferguson says of his little town of 3,500, "We jokingly call it Kia-Ville."

Photo © Jason Fogelson

A few weeks ago, I blogged about the impending Cash for Clunkers bill that was working its way through the Congress. Well, the bill has passed, and has been signed into law by President Obama.

My colleague Keith Griffin, About.com's Guide to Used Cars, has written an excellent, detailed analysis of the Car Allowance Rebate System (CARS) on his site, and reading it clarified the program for me.

I was a little confused about one point until I read Keith's article. I didn't realize that it was an either/or choice -- you can either get a trade-in allowance or a CARS credit, but not both. According to Keith, "Keep in mind that you either get a government credit or you get a trade in allowance from your dealer. You can't get both because the car gets destroyed."

That pretty much sealed the deal for me: Moose is safe from the crusher. Even though my 1994 Toyota 4Runner now has an absolute value of $4,500 against the purchase or lease of a new vehicle, I could never send Moose to the crusher.

Are you taking advantage of CARS to get a new SUV or crossover? Read Keith's excellent article, Advice and Tips on How Cash for Clunkers (or CARS) Works, before you head out to the dealer.

Photo © Jason Fogelson

If you're thinking about buying a Lexus RX 350, you've probably noticed that there's a new one on the showroom floors, the 2010 Lexus RX 350.

But, you may also discover a few, neglected orphans lined up along the back edge of the lot. The poor, overlooked 2009 models, left to gather dust and bird droppings while the new model is paraded about as the latest and greatest. Well, I just drove one of those old 2009s, and I've returned with this 2009 Lexus RX 350 Test Drive and Review. Sure, it's been on the road for a while, and there are a whole lot of them out there. But the 2009 RX is still worth a look, and may save you a few bucks, if you can live without the latest and greatest. Who knows, you might even find a 2008 Lexus RX 400h back there, too. After all, there was no 2009 model for the hybrid.

Photo © Lexus

BMW announced plans this week to bring the X1, a new compact crossover, to the United States in 2011.

The vehicle, which resembles a smaller X5 or X3, duplicates the rear- or all-wheel-drive setup of its larger siblings. In Europe, the X1 will be available with a variety of powertrains, both gasoline and diesel. BMW will wait to decide whether or not we'll get a diesel X1 -- in all likelihood, we'll get the straight-six powered 2.8 liter gas version tuned to deliver 258 hp. With a luggage compartment that will hold 14.7 cubic feet, and up to 47.3 cubic feet of cargo space with the seats folded down, the X1 will open new ground for the premium subcompact crossover market.

Pricing won't be announced until much closer to the US launch, but with X5 starting in the upper 40s, X3 in the upper 30s, I would expect X1 to start in the lower 30s.

Photo © BMW